


Saved

by stargatesarah



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:20:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25132273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargatesarah/pseuds/stargatesarah
Summary: Sam's personal life is spiralling out of control with a controlling and abusive boyfriend, when she defies an order the rest of her team finally find out the truth. A Pete bashing fic (I couldn't help it!) which eventually ends with Sam & Jack together. I love getting these two together with a bit of angst thrown in!
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill, Samantha "Sam" Carter/Pete Shanahan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47
Collections: Stargate





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is huge but the rest won't quite so big!

Who the hell is ringing me in the middle of the night grumbled Jack as he rolled over in bed and reached for his cell.  
“What” he answered gruffly.  
“If this is a prank call I’m not laughing” still no one at the other end answered. In the end Jack hung up and checked the caller ID, it was Carter. Deciding that she must have misdialled since it was the middle of the night he chucked his cell on the floor and went back to sleep.

Jack strode into the briefing room the next day with a spring in his step, today was a good day. An easy mission on the cards and team night with his favourite people that evening. Sam was already sat at the briefing table, fiddling with her pen.  
“Carter” he greeted as he poured some coffee. “You want some?” he asked.  
“Carter, you OK?”  
“Sorry Sir, I didn’t notice you come in” she replied, her eyes looking anywhere but towards him. He sat down in his usual chair next to her and noticed as she flinched when his arm brushed hers.  
“You OK?” he asked softly. Before she had a chance to answer Daniel and Teal’c sat down and Daniel began chatting animatedly about their mission. Grateful for the interruption Sam nodded at the Colonel and focused on Daniel and the briefing.

Major Carter was not having a good morning, once again she’d gotten into an argument with Pete the night before and once again he’d hit her, repeatedly. She’d begged him to stop, promising she was sorry for whatever she’d done. Unfortunately she didn’t know what she’d done, this time or any of the times he’d beaten her. She promised him time and time again there was nothing going on between her and Colonel O’Neill. Now she was sat in the briefing room preparing for a mission she wasn’t even sure he had he strength to see through. She’d let her personal life interfere with work and she hated herself for it. Worst still, Pete had warned her that if she spoke to anyone he’d expose the whole program, he knew she wouldn’t compromise her work.

Thankfully the mission itself went off without issue, it wasn’t till she was sat in the infirmary waiting for her post mission check that she began to panic, knowing that taking of her jacket would mean that Janet would see her bruises and would want to know how she got them. In a moment of what she could only describe as pure stupidity, she left the infirmary and headed for the surface. Thankfully no one had seen her leave and she signed up and jumped in her car without being challenged.

“You’re all done Colonel” said Janet as he jumped off the bed. “Can you send Major Carter in to see me please”  
“I thought she was here already? She came down with Daniel” he replied.  
“Well unless she’s hiding from me she isn’t here now, it’s protocol to complete a medical straight after a mission Sir”  
“I’m well aware of that and I’m pretty sure Carter is too” he replied tersely.  
“I’ll find her and send her down Doctor”  
As she watched the Colonel walk away Janet silently wondered what could have happened that would cause her friend to defy a direct order.

Jack tried the usual places his 2IC would normally be hiding, her lab was his first choice before trying the locker rooms and the commissary. He was just about to report to Hammond when he thought to check if she’d left the mountain. A quick call to the SF’s on the gate confirmed she had. Next he needed to find out where she’d gone and why.

Sam pulled up outside her house and tried to compose herself before going in, she could see Pete was in, his car was parked outside. She knew he’d be mad, he’d told her to quit her job on more than one occasion and she’d refused, something he’d punished her for. She opened up her door and immediately came face to face with him.  
“Where have you been?” he growled  
“Work Pete, I’ve told you before I’m not going to quit” she replied as she tried to push past him.  
“And I’ve told you you’d be sorry if you didn’t” he said as he grabbed her by the throat and threw her into the house.

Jack was beginning to grow impatient, he dialled Carter’s cell repeatedly and she wasn’t picking up. He couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever missed a briefing or a standard medical check, hell this was Carter, she was an Air Force Officer through and through. She did everything by the book, despite his attempts to get her to loosen up occasionally. Sighing he decided that if she wasn’t going to answer, he’d have to go to her.

Sam could feel her cell vibrating in her pocket but she didn’t dare reach for it, Pete had been watching her constantly since she got home. She knew he’d suspect it was the Colonel or one of her team if she answered and she didn’t want to make him angrier than he already was. He was preparing to leave for the evening, telling her he’d made arrangements with friends and that he expected some food ready when he got back. Sighing to herself she wondered how on earth she’d ended up in this situation. She’d stupidly let her brother set her up on a blind date and now she was stuck with a jealous, abusive boyfriend. She was Sam Carter, Major Samantha Carter of the USAF for god sake, she saved the world on a regular basis yet somehow wasn’t able to save herself. As her tears threatened to fall she heard a loud knock on her door.

Sam dragged herself to her door and opened it slightly, she was shocked to see Colonel O’Neill standing there with a rather large scowl on his face.  
“Care to tell me why you missed your post mission medical check Carter?” The tears that had threatened earlier came out with force this time and she turned from the door and ran to her bedroom.

“Carter!” he yelled as he entered her house and closed the door.  
“Carter, let me in” he said more gently as he knocked on her bedroom door.  
“It’s open” she called back. He strode in and saw her curled up on her bed, clearly crying.  
“What’s going on Sam? Are you OK?” he asked as he sat down beside her. She lay there for a moment contemplating what to do, she sighed and rolled over. As she did she lifted up her shirt.  
“Woah, Carter, what are you doing?” said O’Neill as he turned away.  
“Look” she whispered. He turned back to look at her and gasped.

Speechless for a few moments he took in the sight in front of him, she had dark bruises across her torso and he noticed a mark on her neck as well.  
“Carter” he spluttered, “what happened?”  
“Did Pete do this to you?” he asked. She nodded in response.  
“But I thought you were happy with him?”  
“So did I for a while Sir but he doesn’t seem to like the fact I can’t talk about my job and for some reason, he thinks I’m in love with someone else” she replied.

Before Jack had the chance to reply they both heard the front door opening, Pete must be back thought Sam. Jack must of seen the look on her face as he jumped up and left her bedroom as fast as he possibly could. He met Pete in the hallway, unsurprisingly Pete didn’t look pleased to see him.

“O’Neill, what the hell are you doing in my house?” Last time I checked I’m pretty sure this wasn’t your house Jack thought to himself.  
“Carter’s needed on base, I stopped by to pick her up on my way in” he replied, feeling smug at his fast response.  
“She’s finished for the day” he replied, anger evident in his voice.  
“Well I’m afraid she’s not, I need her on base and she’s leaving with me” replied Jack, his voice steady but firm. As Pete moved towards Jack Sam came out from her room, Jack noticed she’d changed but didn’t say anything.  
“Pete, I need to go back to base. I’ll see you later” she strode past him and he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.  
“And I said you’re not going anywhere!”  
“Pete, stop, you’re hurting me” cried Carter. Jack grabbed Pete by his collar and slammed him into the wall. In his shock he pulled Sam with him and she fell to the ground, catching her head on the stand in her hallway.  
“Touch her again and I’m make you wish you’d never met me” growled Jack as he tightened his grip on Pete’s throat.

He let go of Pete and watched as he slid to the floor, he turned and pulled Sam to her feet and guided her out of the house towards his truck.  
“Let’s get you back to base Carter”  
“Sir” she mumbled.  
“Just take it easy Sam, we’ll talk later” he replied as they drove off.

Jack strode confidently into the infirmary with Sam trailing behind, he headed straight for Doctor Fraiser’s office and beckoned Sam to follow. Janet looked up in surprise, it was just after 11pm and she was hoping for a quiet night shift but the look on both the Colonel and Majors faces suggested otherwise.  
“Colonel, Major. Is everything OK?” Jack closed the door behind Sam and gently ushered her forwards.  
“Sam, you need to show Janet” he looked at her and squeezed her hand “I’ll be right here with you but I can’t help you if you’re not honest with us” Janet looked nervously at them both, wondering what the hell was going on. Sam stepped forward and lifted her shirt, Janet momentarily paled at the sight of her friends chest before composing herself.  
“Sam, what happened?”  
“Pete” was all she could say before she began to sway in front of Janet. Both the Colonel and Janet grabbed Sam by her arms and took her out of Janet’s office and carefully laid her down on a bed.

“Talk to me Sam” commanded Janet. “I need to know what happened”  
“I hit my head” she replied. Jack gave her a look that suggested she needed to continue.  
“I hit my head because Pete grabbed me and the Colonel was trying to help”  
“Why did Pete grab you Sam?” asked Janet as she gently examined the bruise on Sam’s head.  
“Because he thinks I was having an affair with the Colonel and I won’t tell him why I’m at work all the time” she replied whilst not making eye contact with either of them.  
“Sam, I need to examine you, is that OK?” asked Janet gently. Sam nodded and laid back on the bed.  
“I’ll just um, I’ll just leave you two alone” said Jack as he backed away and left the infirmary. He stopped outside the door and leant against the wall, part of him wanted to go back in there but was that what she wanted? What she needed? He was pulled from his thoughts by the voice booming over the intercom.  
“Colonel O’Neill please report to the Generals office immediately”. This can’t be good he thought as he turned and hurried to the Generals office.

As O’Neill entered the office he came face to face with a very angry looking General, nope this definitely didn’t look good.  
“Colonel, care to tell me why I have a Pete Shanahan at the gate demanding to know where Major Carter is?”  
“Carter’s in the infirmary Sir” replied Jack.  
“Care to tell me why Colonel” asked the General who was clearly not in the mood for games.  
“Pete is Carter’s boyfriend Sir, but he’s been abusing that position” replied the Colonel, unsure how much he should divulge about Sam’s private life.  
“I see” replied General Hammond. “Is he a security risk?”  
“I doubt anyone would believe him Sir but perhaps we should keep an eye on the situation” replied Colonel O’Neill.  
“Maybe you’d like to have a word with him Colonel?” Colonel O’Neill nodded in understanding as he turned and left the room.

“OK Sam, I’m all done.  
“Thanks Janet. So, what’s the damage?” asked Sam, trying to lighten the mood.  
“Mild concussion, 2 cracked ribs and some fairly heavy bruising” replied Janet as she helped Sam lay back down in the bed.  
“I want you to stay here for the rest of the night but after that you can go home”. Sam visibly winced as Janet spoke, home was the last place she wanted to be right now.  
“Of course, I could keep you here a couple of days, just to be sure”  
“Thanks Janet” replied Sam.  
“Want to talk about it?”  
“Not really, I mean, what is there to say? Either I’m weak or an idiot for ending up in this position”  
“Is that really what you think Sam?” asked Janet.  
“I’m not really sure what to think Janet. I thought moving on from, you know was what I was supposed to do but it doesn’t appear to have worked out that way. Pete seemed so nice at first but”  
“But what Sam” pressed Janet gently.  
“He thinks I’m having an affair with the Colonel”.  
“Oh” replied Janet not looking or sounding as shocked as Sam expected.  
“You know that’s not true Janet”  
“Of course” replied Janet, rather more quickly than she intended.  
“Look Sam, whatever is going on between you and the Colonel is no reason for Pete’s behaviour, you know that right?”  
“Are we done Janet, I’d like to get some sleep if that’s OK?”  
“Sure but we are going to talk about this Sam”. Janet sighed as she watched Sam roll away from her, she was pretty sure talking about it was the last thing on her mind but this time she was going to make sure she did.

Colonel O’Neill headed towards the surface, trying to contain his anger. How dare he come here and harass Carter, the man clearly had no shame. Before he even got to the gate he could hear Pete arguing with the airmen on duty. Both stood to attention as the Colonel approached.  
“What seems to be the problem Airman?” asked O’Neill directly addressing one of the men on the gate as he completely ignored Pete.  
“Sir, this man here is insistent that he see Major Carter”  
“Under no circumstances do you let this man pass Airman, is that clear?”  
“Yes Sir” replied the Airman as he saluted the Colonel.

As Jack turned to leave he heard Pete yell out, he spun on his heels and went face to face with him.  
“If you dare come near Carter, touch her or even breath the air near her, I will personally ensure that you never work in the Police Department again”  
“Is that a threat?” replied Pete.  
“It’s a promise” growled O’Neill. “Now leave before I have you arrested for harassing these Airmen”  
As he turned and walked away he heard Pete yell that it wasn’t over, just give me a reason thought Jack as he headed back into the base.

“Sam, I don’t care whether you want to or not but you and I are going to talk about what happened” said Janet as she checked Sam’s ribs and head.  
“What is there to talk about” shrugged Sam.  
“My so called boyfriend thinks I’m cheating on him and he made his feelings about that clear”  
“That doesn’t justify what he did to you Sam, you know that right?”  
“What am I supposed to say or do Janet? He doesn’t believe the truth, I’m not having an affair with the Colonel and he doesn’t accept my job keeps me here”  
“That doesn’t give him the right to abuse you though Sam. How long has this been going on for?”  
“3 months” mumbled Sam. Janet looked at her in shock, how on earth had her friend ended up in this situation. As if she was reading her thoughts, Sam answered that question.  
“I was tired of being alone, waiting for something that might never happen. When he asked me to leave the SGC and I refused, that’s when he started hitting me” She hung her head in shame.  
“Sam, look at me” said Janet as she lifted her chin to meet her face.  
“No matter what you do, don’t do or who you might love, he has no right to treat you like that. You’ve done nothing wrong”  
Sam didn’t reply, she simply broke down in tears as Janet hugged her tightly.

Jack walked back into the infirmary to see Sam being comforted by Janet, her body shaking with every sob. He caught Janet’s eye and she motioned him over.  
“Help me settle her back down, I’m going to give her a sedative” Jack continued to hold Sam as she began to relax in his arms, he eventually laid her down and followed Janet into her office.  
“Well Doc, did you get her to talk?” he asked as he took a seat in front of her desk.  
“Yes and what we talk about here goes no further than this room unless Major Carter says so” she replied. Jack waved his hand in response, he wanted to know what was said for Sam to end up in this state.  
“Apparently Pete has been doing this for 3 months”  
“What?!” he exclaimed, standing up in anger. “How did we miss this? Surely you’d have noticed something in her post mission checks?”  
Janet felt her anger rising, she prided herself on her work and was angry that the Colonel was insinuating that she might have missed something in her checks.  
“Colonel, you and I both know how well Major Carter can hide something when she wants to” she replied tersely. Jack sat back down and ran his hands through his hair before continuing.  
“I know Doc, I just can’t believe she has let that scumbag keep doing this”  
“Perhaps you need to have a conversation with her Colonel, after all she moved on from what she thought she couldn’t have”  
“You’re saying this is my fault?”  
“Not at all Sir but I think we both know that Pete would have good reason to be suspicious, you and Sam are very close after all”  
“Major Carter and I have never done anything inappropriate, I’d never risk her career” he replied.  
“No one is suggesting you would Sir and this is strictly off the record” he nodded in agreement.  
“But, perhaps the thought of what could have been is affecting her relationship with Pete”

Jack headed back over to Sam’s bed and pulled up a chair to sit down next to her, he couldn’t think straight. Was Janet right? Was he the reason for Sam’s apparent relationship issues? They’d agreed to leave it in the room all those years ago but was that still what she wanted, what he wanted? One thing was for sure, he knew they needed to talk, he just wasn’t sure where to start.

Sam awoke to find her arm pinned to the bed, as she looked around she realised the Colonel had fallen asleep on her arm and was still fast asleep. Janet had noticed Sam was awake and came over with a slight grin on her face.  
“Shall we wake him?” she asked with a smirk on her face. Sam nodded in response.  
“Colonel!” shouted Janet. Sam could barely contain her laughter as Colonel O’Neill sat up dead straight and almost fell off his chair.  
“Morning Colonel, I’m sure you were supposed to rest in your quarters rather than my infirmary” said Janet also stifling a grin. Jack threw Janet a look that suggested he wasn’t amused. Sensing his discomfort Sam decided to save her CO from Janet and changed the subject completely.  
“When can I go home Janet? Jack immediately perked up at this question.  
“SG1 would be more than happy to take Sam home Doc”. Luckily for the Colonel Janet wasn’t going to argue this time round.  
“Sam can go home today but I don’t want her left alone” she stated as she threw a telling look at Sam.  
“Well SG1 have that covered” replied Colonel O’Neill.  
“Consider us your escort home” he told Sam as he got up and stretched.  
“Call me when she’s free Doc” he smirked as he turned and left the infirmary.

Sam was sat on the end of the bed, dressed and ready to go when Jack returned to the infirmary a few hours later. She’d promised Janet they’d talk when she finished her shift later that day. Although physically she felt a lot better than when Jack brought her in a couple of days ago, her mind was still all over the place. She wasn’t going to let that slip though, she knew they’d fuss over her even more than they already were.

“Ready Major?” she nodded as she got off the bed.  
“Anything you need before we leave?”  
“No, Janet is going to stop by later and will bring some more pain relief if I need it” she replied.  
“We heading to yours?” he questioned.  
“Why not?”  
“I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to go back there yet?”  
“It’s my house Sir and besides I have to go back eventually” she replied.  
“Yours it is then, Danny and Teal’c will follow us”.

The journey back to Sam’s was quiet, neither of them knowing what to say. Sam let her eyes glaze over as she leaned against the window and Jack spent most of the drive fiddling with the radio in his truck. When they eventually pulled up outside her house she climbed out and headed towards her front door, motioning for the guys to follow. Surprised to find the front door unlocked she opened it quietly and heard a sound coming from her living room. She walked in to see Pete sprawled on her couch completely oblivious to the faces staring at him.  
“Pete! What the hell are you doing here?” she asked in the strongest voice she could muster at that moment. Pete jumped and spun round in shock before standing up and walking over to Sam, he stood face to face with her and scowled.  
“Why are they here?” he growled  
“They are my friends and this is my house which you need to leave” she replied calmly. She could feel the Colonel tensing behind her and she silently prayed for him to keep quiet.  
“You’re my fiancé and the only people leaving this house is them” he shouted as he pointed at the 3 male members of SG1.

“It’s over Pete so I suggest you leave now before I call the Cops” replied Sam trying her best to remain calm.  
“I’ll leave when I say so” replied Pete as he grabbed Sam’s arm and twisted it behind her, spinning her around to face Jack.  
“Let her go” said Jack with fire in his eyes.  
“You’re the reason she’s in this mess, so the way I see it is that you 3 get the hell out of my house before you regret ever coming here” replied Pete. He twisted Sam’s arm further causing her to gasp out in pain. Both Jack and Teal’c threw themselves at Pete and the 4 of them went crashing to the ground. It didn’t take long for Teal’c and Jack to restrain Pete but Sam had taken the brunt of the fall and was cradling her wrist protectively as she watched Teal’c haul Pete up and escort him from her house.

Jack kneeled by her side as he told Daniel to get Janet round as soon as possible. He gently lifted Sam up and guided her to her couch.  
“Are you OK?” he whispered. She nodded, clearly shocked by what had just happened.  
“You stay here, I’ll be right back” Jack strode out of the house to find Teal’c and Daniel standing with Pete and Jack didn’t fail to see the irony of Pete being the one standing with his arm twisted behind his back by Teal’c.

“Daniel, did you call Dr Fraiser?”  
“Yep, she’ll be here any minute now” replied Daniel  
“T, why don’t you see that he gets back to base, I’m sure there will be a free isolation room he can wait in until Carter decides what she wants to do with him” Teal’c nodded in response and asked Daniel to call the base and send an Airman over to escort Pete to the base.  
“Send the Doc in when she gets here, I’m going back in to sit with her” said Jack. He threw a look at Pete as he left who shouted angrily after him that he would pay for this. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be the one left suffering after this thought Jack as he headed back inside.

Jack walked back inside and found Sam sat on the corner of her couch with tears in her eyes.  
“Come here” he said as he wrapped his arms around her, he didn’t fail to notice the wince of pain as she moved in closer. They stayed like that for a few moments before Sam pulled away and looked at him.  
“What happened to us Sir?”  
“What do you mean?” he replied, silently wishing they weren’t about to have this conversation right now.  
“Do you still?” she asked? Before Jack could reply Janet and Daniel walked in and he breathed a sigh of relief, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to have that conversation, it was that he didn’t want to have it right now.

Janet knelt down in front of Sam and began checking her over, she noticed immediately how she was holding her wrist and she reached out gently to take a look.  
“Anything else hurt Sam?” asked the Doctor.  
“Just my pride” she replied, trying to lighten the mood.  
“I don’t think it’s broken, just a bad sprain but let’s get some ice on it and we can see how the swelling goes”  
Daniel jumped up and went to the kitchen to get some ice and a towel for Sam’s wrist, he handed it to Janet and she wrapped it gently round Sam’s wrist.  
“You need to rest Sam” ordered Janet. She nodded in response as she settled back in the couch. Jack motioned for the others to follow him and they headed outside.  
“Is she going to be OK Doc?”  
“Physically yes, she just needs to rest. Mentally, well that’s another matter” replied Janet.  
“Are you going to stay” asked Daniel.  
“Yeah, did you get that idiot back to base?” replied Jack?  
“He’s currently looking at four walls of concrete” said Daniel

Jack told the others to come back in the morning and Janet made him promise to call her if he was worried about Sam. He headed back inside and found Sam asleep on the couch, not wanting to disturb her he pulled a blanket round her and settled down in the chair opposite. Sighing to himself he fell into a fitful sleep, knowing the conversation they both needed to have wasn’t going to be the easiest.

When Sam woke up a few hours later her house was silent and only the light from her kitchen lit the room dimly. She gave her eyes a few moments to adjust before trying to push herself off the couch, unfortunately she’d forgotten about her wrist and she winced loudly as her body reminded her of the previous night’s events.  
“Sam, are you OK?” asked Jack from his chair. Sam jumped in shock not realising he was still here.  
“Sir! What are you still doing here?”  
“Making sure you’re alright Carter, which clearly you aren’t judging by the sound you just made” he replied.  
“Just my wrist Sir”  
“Yes, well, let’s get some ice and painkillers for it” Before Sam could argue Jack held up a hand in response.  
“Doctor’s order’s Carter, unless you want me to call her round?”  
“Fine!” replied Sam slouching back down on her couch. Jack busied himself in the kitchen sorting out ice and the painkillers for Sam’s wrist.  
“What time is it Sir?”  
“Just after 2am”  
“Don’t suppose you can make some coffee Sir?” she asked tentatively.

A few minutes later Jack walked back into the room with the ice, painkillers and 2 cups of steaming hot coffee. He gently wrapped the ice pack around Sam’s wrist and handed her the painkillers. Once he was sure she was comfy he sat back down on the chair opposite.  
“So”  
“So what” she replied  
“Sooo what the hell happened between you and Pete to end up like this?” he asked. He mentally berated himself for being so abrupt especially judging by the look of shock on his 2IC’s face.  
“I already told you Colonel, he isn’t happy with my job”. Jack winced at the use of his title, in his mind he really wanted the conversation to go better than this but he was clearly going to have to try harder if he was going to get her to open up.  
“If he loves you Sam then surely what you do for work shouldn’t matter?”  
“Don’t you think I know that Sir!” she replied angrily “but he’s the only person I haven’t managed to kill yet” Jack stared in shock at her admission.  
“Surely you don’t believe that?” he said gently. Sam looked at him with tears in her eyes and he quickly moved to be beside her.  
“I don’t want to believe it Sir but history speaks for itself” she replied.  
“Sam, you had nothing to do with any of that”  
“S’not what everyone on the base thinks” she mumbled back  
“Do you seriously give a damn what anyone else thinks?” he asked. “Because I sure as hell don’t and I don’t believe that crap for one second”  
“With all due respect Sir, what do you believe?”  
“That there’s man out there who just might be good enough for you” She looked at him, shocked at his words, trying to read his thoughts. Was he saying that he might be that man? She knew he’d had feelings for her but when she told him about Pete she’d assumed he’d moved on as well.

Jack stared at Sam, trying to decipher the look on her face, unbeknownst to him she was doing the exact same thing. Did she still have feelings for him? Was Pete actually on to something when he accused her of still loving him?

They both sat staring at each other for a few minutes, both unsure as to what to say or do next. Fed up with waiting, it was never his style after all. Jack decided to make the first move, one that he hoped he wouldn’t regret and emotions he hoped he hadn’t misread. He moved closer and pulled her towards him, gently cradling her face with his hands. He heard her gasp but she didn’t fight it, screw it he thought. He pulled her closer and kissed her, gently at first but with more urgency as she reciprocated his actions. He gently laid her back and lowered himself down on top of her, carefully avoiding putting too much weight on her sore ribs.

Their actions were frantic and rushed, both clearly taken over by the years of waiting. When they finally broke apart Sam was the first to speak.  
“Sir” she gasped.  
“I think we’re a little bit past Sir” he replied, dryly.  
“Jack”  
“Better” he mumbled as he began planting gentle kisses on her neck and across her collarbone.  
“Jack!” she said with more control.  
“It’s not that I don’t want to do this, believe me I do but I don’t want it to be here like this when I’m still engaged to someone else”  
“Does that mean you do want it?” he asked.  
“More than you’ll ever know, but first I need to deal with Pete”  
“So it’s not a no then?”  
“Which part of that suggested that it might be a no” she replied laughing.  
“A man’s gotta check” he grinned pulling her up and into a hug. She nestled into his chest and as he felt her breathing even out he whispered, “I love you Sam”. She smiled, as she began to drift off, I love you too Jack she thought to herself as she let her tired body finally rest.

They both woke up the next morning stiff from sleeping on the couch, neither of them wanting to move. Sam got up first and headed for the shower, she came out to the smell of fresh coffee.  
“Morning Sir”  
“I thought we agreed it was Jack now” as he lightly kissed her forehead before handing her a coffee.  
“Old habits I guess” she replied as she took a sip of her drink.  
“So, what do you want to do about Pete?” asked Jack, getting straight to the point.  
“You could send Teal’c in first” he shrugged, “pretty sure he wouldn’t bother you again after a little chat with the big man” he smirked.  
“As fun as that sounds Sir, I’m not sure it will really solve my problem” Choosing to ignore the fact she’d called him Sir, again, Jack moved closer and pulled her into a hug.  
“So what do you want to do?” Sighing as she snuggled into his embrace she allowed herself a moment to think about her answer.  
“I’ve no idea” she replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack drove them both back to the SGC the following morning, despite Jack’s best efforts to make small talk with Sam she barely uttered more than a couple of words, her mind clearly elsewhere. After what felt like a very long drive for them both they finally arrived at the mountain. Another uncomfortable silence followed as they took the elevator deep into the complex.   
“I’m going to speak to Hammond, are you heading to the infirmary?” asked Jack. Sam nodded in response as they left the elevator together. Jack looked back at Sam as he left her heading towards the infirmary, he really felt like they’d made progress last night but this morning she’d become cold and distant, He really hoped it wasn’t because of him and she was simply nervous about speaking to Pete.

Janet waved at Sam as she walked in to the infirmary and motioned that she’d be over in a minute, Sam sat down on one of the beds as she waited for her friend to finish with her nurses.   
“Morning Sam, how are you feeling today?” asked Janet as she came over.  
“Well aside from a very sore wrist, nothing else hurts” replied Sam “which I guess is a good thing”  
“You don’t seem very happy though, is everything alright? Did the Colonel stay with you last night?” enquired Janet as she checked her wrist over.  
“He did” Janet raised her eyebrows in response.  
“And nothing happened Janet!” nothing that she was going to tell right now anyway.  
“I guess I’m just nervous about speaking to Pete, the last time I told him it was over he didn’t exactly take it well”   
“Do you want me to go with you?” asked Janet.   
“ Actually, yes I do. I certainly don’t want the guys in there with me. Maybe you can slip him a sedative or something” laughed Sam.  
“Well, I’m not totally against that idea” said Janet smiling, she was pleased to see her friend smile for the first time in a while.

After Sam had spoken to General Hammond and told him she’d planned to speak with Pete she and Janet headed off to the room he was being kept in. She knew the General would inform Jack of her plans and she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible, she knew he wouldn’t be happy with her going in there alone. Once outside the room she motioned to the SF stationed outside to open the door, both her and Janet stepped inside but neither of them predicted what would happen next. Pete launched himself at the SF who was just about to close the door and grabbed him gun, he hit him hard and watched as he crumpled to the floor. Next he turned and pointed the gun at Janet and motioned for her to close the isolation room door.  
“Pete, what the hell are you doing? You’re never going to walk out of here on your own” said Sam.  
“No I’m not” he replied “but you two can and you’re taking me with you” He grabbed Janet and turned her around, pushing the gun into her side.  
“Either you get me out of here now or I shoot her and then we still leave”   
“Sam, don’t” said Janet, pleading with Sam to not let Pete leave. Sam went to open the door and turned to face them both.  
“I can’t let him hurt you because of me Janet, I’m sorry” replied Sam.  
“Let’s go” growled Pete.

By pure chance the three of them managed to get to the elevator without seeing anyone, it wasn’t till they needed to sign out that they finally came across another person. Pete had warned Sam in the elevator not to try anything and she done as he told her. Once they were out of the base Sam turned to talk to Pete.  
“I’ve done what you asked, let her go”  
“Not a chance” he replied “if I let her go I won’t make it out of this parking lot, find a car. You’re both coming with me”  
Both Sam and Janet looked at each other in alarm, neither of them had expected to get anywhere near the surface, let alone completely off the base. Fortunately there was a vehicle free in the base’s car pool and Sam quickly sorted keys and headed to the car with Pete and Janet following behind. Pete instructed Sam to drive while he climbed in the back with Janet.  
“Do what I tell you or I’ll shoot you both” said Pete.  
Nodding Sam pulled away, silently wondering what the hell she was going to do to get out of this one.

Jack strode into Hammonds office without bothering to knock.  
“Surely she’s done by now?” he asked.  
“Colonel, do I need to remind you about chain of command and respect?” replied Hammond, clearly not in the mood for insubordination at this point in time. Looking only slightly apologetic Jack decided to change tact.  
“Permission to check on our guest Sir?” Hammond nodded, he’d had enough of this whole issue and wasn’t looking forward to explaining to his superiors why he detained a civilian on his base for a lot longer than he’d intended.  
“Go and get this mess sorted out Colonel and tell Major Carter that she’ll be fully backed up should she wish to press charges in a civilian capacity”  
Jack acknowledged his commanding officers request and got up to leave, he’d already been told by the General that although Carter was military, this was technically still a civilian matter and that keeping Pete locked on base was not really within their remit. He quickly headed towards the isolation room only stopping to fetch Teal’c, a little extra muscle couldn’t hurt he mused.

As they rounded the corner and saw the door to the room ajar they both broke into a sprint, the room was empty except for a clearly very dazed SF coming round on the floor. Pulling him upright Jack demanded to know what had happened. After receiving a fairly obvious answer he yelled at Teal’c to let Hammond know the situation and headed to the security room to check the video feed for the isolation room. It didn’t take long for Jack to find out what had happened, the question was, where the hell had Pete taken them?


	3. Chapter 3

It didn’t take Sam long to figure out that Pete clearly had no plan for where he was going to take them. She’d asked him a couple of times where they were going and he’d told her to shut up and keep driving. Knowing that they couldn’t drive around in circles forever she decided to try and influence where they went.  
“Pete, you don’t need to do this. Let us out and we won’t stop you”  
“Shut up and drive” he growled.  
“Drive where Pete?! You haven’t told me where to go!” Sensing what she was trying to do, Janet also tried to get Pete to stop.  
“Sam needs to know where to go Pete, otherwise we’re going to run out of fuel or someone will find us” Sam glanced at Pete in the rear view mirror, she could tell he was beginning to panic so she decided to make the decision for him in the hope it wouldn’t backfire.  
“Where are you going?” shouted Pete  
“Home” replied Sam calmly “Unless you have a better idea?”

Jack was pacing up and down the briefing room whilst Hammond was making some phone calls in his office. Both Teal’c and Daniel were sat at the table, their eyes flicking nervously between Jack and the General.  
“What the hell is taking him so long”   
“Jack, calm down and take a seat” replied Daniel  
“I’ll calm down when that idiot is found and Sam and the Doc are back here” he replied, throwing a Daniel a look that caused the younger man to roll his eyes and go back to concentrating on trying to work out who Hammond was talking too. When Hammond finally came back into the briefing room the expression on his face gave nothing away.  
“Well?” asked Jack, “do we have any idea where he’s taken them?”  
“I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told Son but he’s taken them to Major Carter’s house” replied General Hammond. All 3 of them looked at the General in shock with Jack the first to find his voice.  
“Clearly he’s more of an idiot than we thought”  
“Or it’s a trap” replied Daniel. Jack and Hammond stared incredulously at Daniel but Teal’c voiced his opinion in support of Daniel’s theory.   
“I agree with Daniel Jackson, surely Major Carter’s residence would be the last place we would think to look?” replied Teal’c.  
“Trap or not let’s get over there and end this now” said O’Neill as he left the room with Teal’c and Daniel following closely behind.

Sam pulled up outside her house and cut the engine, she slowly turned round to Pete trying to determine what course of action to take next. She could see the panic in his eyes so she decided to continue with her own plan of action. As she undid her seat belt and went to open the door, Pete finally flew into action.   
“Wait, I get out first and then you two follow” he ordered. Both women got out as told and walked towards the house. Sam opened the door and waited for Pete to go through first he quickly checked the kitchen and her lounge before motioning for them both to sit down on the couch.

“So what are you going to do now Pete?” asked Sam as she watched him drawing all her curtains.   
“Just shut up” he yelled, clearly getting more agitated by the minute and Sam knew she needed to do something soon before the situation got way out of control. She suspected the Colonel would find out pretty quickly where they were and the last thing she needed was the rest of SG1 charging in through the front door.  
“Pete, why don’t you just leave? Take my car and go. We won’t know where you’ve gone and we won’t follow you” said Sam as Pete continued pacing up and down the room.  
“That’s what you’d like isn’t it? For me to leave and you can jump straight into bed with that idiot of a CO of yours” he snarled. Sam sighed, this clearly wasn’t going to be as straightforward as he hoped, keeping her fingers crossed that what she was about to say next wasn’t going to go terribly wrong, she stood up to face him.  
“That’s exactly what I plan to do, in fact he’ll probably be over here shortly so if you’d just leave that would be great” she replied. She heard Janet gasp in shock behind her and it took all of her will power not to crumble and sit back down as he watched Pete’s face turn bright red in anger.  
“You bitch, I knew it. I knew you were sleeping with him” Sam stood her ground and silently prayed to anyone that would listen that she’d not just made a massive mistake. Pete stood in front of her and pressed the gun into her chest.  
“Shooting me isn’t going to change that” she replied calmly.  
“Maybe but at least he can’t have you either” said Pete, clearly struggling to contain his anger.

At that moment the Colonel flew through Sam’s front door and she spun around to face him as Pete took a step back. Jack had his gun pointed at Pete and was motioning for Sam to get out of the way.  
“What the hell are you doing here?” shouted Pete, “couldn’t you just leave her alone?”  
“Carter get out of the way” ordered O’Neill, as he watched Pete get even more agitated. Pete raised his gun towards the Colonel as he shouted that Sam was his, sensing Pete was about to fire Jack pulled the trigger on his gun and watched in shock as Sam jumped in front of Pete. Both Jack and Janet shouted at the same time as they watched Sam slump to the floor. Jack launched himself across the room and knocked Pete’s gun from him, luckily Pete was a shocked as they were and wasn’t prepared to retaliate. Jack yelled at Teal’c to restrain Pete as he turned to Janet with a look of panic on his face as they both looked down at Sam on the floor.

As Teal’ hauled Pete to his feet and headed for the door, Janet reacted first and crouched down beside her friend checking for a pulse, Sam groaned and rolled over causing Janet to breathe a huge sigh of relief as she realised that not only was Sam still alive but the bullet had hit her in the shoulder rather than her chest.  
“Sam, talk to me” ordered Janet as she put pressure on her wound.  
“That really hurt” groaned Sam as she tried to sit up.   
“What on earth were you thinking Carter?” asked Jack, “you’re supposed to get out of the way when someone fires a gun, not jump at it. For Christ sake I could have killed you!” he shouted.  
“Colonel, you need to calm down or leave. We need to get Sam back to the infirmary and then we can debate the do’s and don’ts of a shootout.  
“What do you need Doc?”  
“Some towels and a ride back to the SGC as soon as possible” replied Janet. Jack nodded and left Janet tending to Sam.  
“Can you stand up Sam?” asked Janet  
“I think so” she replied. Janet helped her stand up and put an arm around her as she swayed violently.  
“Maybe not so much” said Sam with a small grin. Janet helped her sit down on the couch and took the towels from Jack.  
“Daniel is waiting outside to take us back to the SGC, you two ready?”

Jack and Janet helped Sam to her feet and Jack practically carried her out to the car, he helped her into the backseat with Janet and quickly jumped in the front with Daniel. The ride back didn’t take long, Jack called ahead to warn them they were coming and a medical team were waiting at the gate.   
“We’re going to have a long chat about this later Carter” said Jack as Janet wheeled her away, if I survive telling the General I shot his best friends daughter he mused as he headed down the Hammonds office.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam could feel herself coming round, she tried hard to open her eyes but realised how incredibly groggy she felt. After a few moments she tried again, this time successfully managing to open her eyes and scan her surroundings. It didn’t take long for her to notice the Colonel sat in a chair next to her bed, his head resting on his shoulder. She tried to adjust her position in bed by sitting up but unfortunately the movement caused her to gasp in pain and woke Jack up immediately.  
“Carter, are you OK? What the hell are you trying to do?”  
“Just sit up” she replied meekly.  
“You’ve just had surgery, perhaps you shouldn’t be trying to jump out of bed just yet!”   
“Very funny Sir. Can you please help me sit up?” Jack adjusted the controls on the bed and placed an extra pillow behind her back.  
“Better?”  
“Much” she replied. They sat in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say. When they did eventually speak it was at the same time.  
“Sir”  
“Carter”  
“You go first Carter, I figure you’ve probably got more explaining to do than me” said Jack. Sam was about to speak when Jack exploded in front of her.  
“Why the hell did you jump in front of that idiot when I fired my gun? What the hell were you thinking? I could have killed you, why would you even do that Sam?” Shocked at his use of her first name she was momentarily lost for words.  
“I didn’t do it for him” she began fiddling with her IV, unable to lift her eyes to meet his for fear that she’d lose control of her emotions.  
“Then who?” he asked as he stood up and moved closer to her bed.  
“I did it, I did it for you” she replied in a whisper. He slumped back down in his chair and ran his hands through his hair.  
“What the hell Carter?!”  
An uncomfortable silence filled the room again, neither sure what to say or do next. Sam briefly contemplated feigning sleep but decided against it, if nothing else Janet would probably walk in at the wrong moment and know she was faking it.  
“I did it for you Sir” she repeated.  
“But why?”  
“Because I didn’t want you to live with the guilt of killing him because of me”  
“Jesus Sam, that’s….you didn’t have to do that” he replied softly.  
“Maybe, but I did and I don’t regret it” she said taking his hand in hers “and I don’t want to leave it in the room any longer” It took all of Jack’s resolve not to sweep her up into his arms there and then but the cameras and nurses hovering near put paid to that. Instead he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and nod that she knew meant he felt the same way.

Janet discharged Sam from the infirmary the following day with strict instructions to take it easy for the next few days, she’d planned to let Jack take her home in the hope that they’d finally be able to talk without interruption. She was in her lab packing up her laptop when she heard the klaxons sound for an unscheduled off-world activation, her curiosity got the better of her and she headed off to the control room.  
“Do we know who it is Sgt?” asked General Hammond.  
“It’s the Tok’ra Sir” replied the gate technician. Sam nodded to General Hammond and headed down the steps to the gate room where Jack caught up with her. They both waited at the bottom of the ramp and were surprised to see Jacob come through.  
“Dad!” exclaimed Sam in surprise as she rushed up the ramp to greet him.  
“Hey kiddo!”  
“Not that I’m complaining but we weren’t expecting you today” replied Sam.  
‘Can’t a father check in on his daughter without making an appointment?” laughed Jacob. His face suddenly became serious as he noticed the faint bruises on Sam’s face and her arm resting in the sling.   
“Sam, what happened to your arm?”  
“Um, I had a little incident at home and got shot” she replied whilst glancing at Jack.  
“Who shot you?”  
“It’s not important, let’s go grab a coffee” she replied cheerfully.  
“Who shot you?”   
“Um, the Colonel may have had something to do with it” she replied as she looked round to see Jack already leaving the gate room a lot faster than he came in.  
Jacob’s head bowed before he looked back up at Sam.  
“Samantha, it’s a pleasure to see you again” said Selmak.  
“Is Dad OK?”  
“Jacob needs a minute to compose himself, perhaps we could go somewhere a little more private to finish this discussion?” suggest Selmak. Sam motioned for her Dad to follow and they went to find the Colonel before heading to her lab.

Sam, Jack and Jacob stood in her lab in an awkward silence, Jack hovered slightly behind Sam figuring that since she was injured, Jacob wasn’t likely to try and push past her.  
“Dad? Can we talk now?” asked Sam.  
“Perhaps the Colonel might care to explain how he ended up shooting my daughter in her home?” replied Jacob, clearly struggling to control his emotions.  
“It might be better if Carter explains this one” said Jack as he took another step back from Sam.  
“I’ll be in my office, doing um, paperwork if you need me” he said as he turned and practically ran out of Sam’s lab. Coward thought Sam as she sighed to herself, she sat down on her stool and began explaining the events of the past few months. Jacob listened intently throughout although Sam could tell that Selmak was keeping him from interrupting her. When she’d finally finished Jacob pulled her into a hug.  
“Sam, why didn’t you tell me? Or anyone for that matter, no one deserves to go through that. Perhaps it might not have ended with your CO shooting you either”  
“He didn’t shoot me Dad, I stopped him from shooting Pete. Besides, I told you why I couldn’t tell anyone”  
“Still, I’m really sorry I wasn’t there for you kiddo. What do you say we head home and get some dinner?” Sam shifted awkwardly in front of him.  
“What?” asked Jacob.  
“Um, I kinda had plans with the Colonel this evening” she replied quietly. She felt Jacob tense up again and sensed that Selmak was influencing his behaviour again, after a few moments he calmed down and finally spoke.  
“Well, I guess it’s a cosy evening for 3 then, let’s go” said Jacob as he headed towards the door. Jack is not going to like this thought Sam as she followed him out of her lab.


	5. Chapter 5

A few hours later, Sam, Jack and Jacob sat in an awkward silence in Sam’s living room. Sam sat fiddling with her cast whilst Jacob threw disapproving looks in Jacks’ direction. Eventually having got fed up with sitting in silence in her own house, Sam spoke up.  
“Dad, how long are you planning on staying?”  
“That depends” replied Jacob  
“On?”  
“On how things go between you and Jack” he answered.  
“What’s Colonel O’Neill got to do with it?” asked Sam.  
“He shot you Sam”  
“Dad, how many times do we need to go over this?” replied Sam   
“He’s your CO” Jack cleared his throat loudly in an effort to prevent the rising tension between Jacob and Sam.  
“Maybe I should leave?” said Jack as Jacob threw him a look that suggested it was a good idea.  
“No one is leaving” replied Sam, not yet anyway she thought to herself.  
“But Jack and I have a few things to talk about Dad” Both Jack and Jacob raised their eyebrows at the fact that Sam had called her CO by his first name but only Jacob mentioned it.  
“Since when did a 2IC refer their CO by their first name?”   
Sam sighed, her Dad really wasn’t going to make this easy although she suspected he was more clued in than he was letting on so she decided to play him at his own game.  
“Since they decided to talk about their feelings rather than ignoring them” she replied whilst taking Jacks hand in hers.  
Taking a moment to look between Jack and her father, Sam didn’t know who looked more shocked. Jacks mouth was wide open in shock with a slight look of fear and Jacob, well Selmak was clearly winning the battle for control there.  
“Do you know, I’m pretty sure George mentioned me joining him for a drink” said Jacob as he stood up. “So I’ll leave you two kids alone”  
“Only if you’re sure Dad? I mean, I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind if you stayed” she looked at Jack who could only nod his head, he was clearly still trying to process the events of the last few minutes. Sam got up and followed her Dad to the door before giving him a quick hug.  
“You sure this is what you want?” asked Jacob.  
“I am Dad”  
“You deserve to be happy kiddo” he kissed her lightly on the forehead and headed down the path, she watched him leave before closing the door and heading back inside.

“Well” said Jack as Sam sat down on the couch next to him “that was, interesting”  
“Sorry Sir, I wasn’t expecting him to come home with me”  
“Ah Carter, I thought we’d dropped the Sir or was that just for your Dad’s benefit?”  
“Well that depends on what happens between us” replied Sam, sounding much braver than she felt.  
“Carter, I don’t want to start something that we’re not prepared to finish, I’d rather not lose our friendship”  
“What about the other night?” asked Sam, feeling slightly confused. Had she misread his actions?  
“Do you regret what happened that night?”  
“Not at all” replied Jack taking her face in his hands “but I don’t want to hide this from anyone, if we do it then I want to do it properly”.   
“I would like that more than anything but what can we do? Neither of us can retire and last time I checked the rules didn’t permit those within a chain of command to fraternize”  
“Don’t overthink it Sam, we’ll figure something out. I’ll speak to General Hammond in the morning, hell, maybe your Dad is putting in a good word for us as we speak!”  
Sam smiled, she couldn’t help but feel better listening to Jack talk. She’d wanted this for a long time but thought he’d moved on, hence her relationship with Pete. However, the thought of going public scared her, something she wasn’t quite ready to admit.

“Do you think maybe we could just keep it between us for little bit? It’s not that I’m ashamed or anything” Jack cut her off with his finger to her mouth before taking her into his arms and kissing her fiercely, years of pent up feelings rising to the surface. He eventually pulled away when both of them were struggling for breath.  
“You okay?” She nodded back in response.  
“We can keep it between you and me for as long as you want but I’m pretty sure Teal’c and Daniel will figure it out sooner rather than later”  
“I can live with that” replied Sam as Jack slowly began his assault of her body again.  
“Shall we move somewhere more comfortable?” she mumbled in between kisses. Jack took her hand and guided her to the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.

They both laid down on the bed and Jack continued his assault of her body, slowly stripping her of all her clothes.   
“Are you forgetting something?” asked Sam  
“Nope” he replied continuing to place gentle kisses across her collarbone  
“Sir”  
“Mmmmm”  
“Get naked”  
“M’kay”   
Jack pushed himself up and took of his shirt before stepping out of his trousers and pants.  
“Better?” he asked  
“Much” replied Sam as she pulled him back down. They spent the rest of the evening slowly exploring each other’s bodies, taking their time as they finally let their feelings for each other show. They both fell into a deep sleep in each other’s arms having finally exhausted themselves a few hours later.

When Sam woke the next morning she found herself in bed alone, she sat up and ran her hands through her hair, had she imagined last night? Had he not enjoyed it and left as soon as he could? Her worries were immediately quelled when Jack came back into her bedroom with two steaming mugs of coffee.  
“Morning” he said as he handed her a cup and kissed her lightly on the forehead.  
“Last night was..”  
“Amazing?” finished Jack  
“Indeed” replied Sam, pleased beyond measure that he felt the same.  
“Channelling your inner Teal’c I see” said Jack smirking.  
“What can I say, your sarcastic sense of humour is rubbing off on me” Jack pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly.  
“Don’t ever let me go” she whispered.  
“I wouldn’t dream of it Major” he replied as they laid back down together.


End file.
